Chapter 27

My Very Own Duck

With everything loaded we had a quick bite to eat and then Captain Trika moved us over to the refueling dock and taught everyone how to hook up and operate the pump for refueling the tender. With full tanks we soon headed out of Jaxport. Destination Miami and hopefully my new duck boat. We actually only travel about two hours down the coast before we come in closer to land and drop anchor for the night. Since everyone was working hard today there is no reason to push things and risk an accident by traveling through the night. We can get a good night’s sleep and continue on in the morning.

I don’t know if it is the sea air, the security of being on a boat where zombies can’t get to us or what it might be. My sleep has not been this good in years. I wake up refreshed and ready to go. A quick breakfast and we are soon on our way down to Miami. The trip is about 350 miles long and we are travelling at about 11 knots so we should arrive in about 30 hours or so. It might be shorter or longer depending on currents and many other things I really don’t understand. However, Captain Trika is using this time to teach us all what we need to know to be a minimally competent crew. First up is radar, spotting and standing watch. If everyone contributes than we will only have four hour rotations. That is nothing.

After that is the harder stuff. Trika decides we all need to understand why it is important to keep boats organized and clean. While we are at sea we all have an eight-hour shift. Four of those hours will be spent on watch and four will be spent on cleaning, inventory, and organization. Any time after that is your own. As much as I want to be lazy, this lady is a professional and deserves my best effort. Besides what I learn now might help me in the future. To help us stay fresh and safe it is decided to break the trip into two days. We will cruise for 20 hours today and then take four to six hours off until it turns light again. Tomorrow we will go for as long as it takes to reach Miami. We should reach Miami in the evening and be able to scope out the situation through the telescopes.

The trip goes well, and I rediscover my hatred of cleaning bathrooms. In order of hatred in my world it goes first cleaning bathrooms, second vacuuming, and third doing dishes. I don’t mind doing other chores, but those three are my nemesis. One of the happiest days of my life was when I finally moved into my house which had a dishwasher. The apartments I lived in before that did not have one and I had to do all my dishes by hand. It was horrible. Enough about the past. After our cleaning and watch sessions everyone was free to work on their own projects or just relax. I decided that I was going to start an armory on the boat.

There was a storage room between the crew cabins and the larger cabins that only had a few extra linens in it. I emptied it out and started filling it with rifles, pistols, shotguns, magazines, and ammunition. By the time I was finished it looked like something out of a low budget war movie. I loved it. New rifles gleaming on the wall with filled magazines underneath where appropriate. Ammo stacked up on the floor neatly. It was just begging for us to have some sort of encounter so it could be used. Whoa Mark, don’t jinx yourself.

After another night’s sleep we depart on what should be the final leg to Miami. A few hours before sunset we approach Miami. Or should I say we approach what is left of Miami. Something happened here that resulted in Miami being gutted. We could see the black smoke for hours before we even arrived. It looks like fire has swept through a large portion of the city and surrounding areas. I am not feeling very good about this. Most of the damage looks intentional. I mean there is one cruise ship partially sunk at the dock. Another one is still spewing smoke. Two others are untouched and pristine. There is no rhyme or reason to it which suggests humans had been responsible.

We don’t have to dock, and I think it would be a good idea not too. I signal Captain Trika to just go farther down the coast. I see a few beach hotels that are untouched. All I want to do today is run our little boat in to a hotel and pick up one of those brochures they always have on display that list the businesses and tours in town. They are sure to have the address of the duck boat tours. Then tomorrow we can cruise by in the tender and see if the duck boat is still there or if we are just moving on.

We drop anchor off the coast near two resorts that look like they have not been touched. There are a few zombies wandering on the beach, but not many. I am going in with Michael and we are going to be packing heavy. Shotgun, Rifle, and two pistols along with melee weapon of choice. Miami makes me nervous. I just want to get in, find the stupid brochure about the tours and leave. Michael and I head to the boat. We aim for the closest point to the newest looking hotel. It should have what we need. The few zombies on the beach hear our boat engine and start wading out to meet us. They stop about waist to chest deep. They seem to realize instinctually that deep water is bad.

Michael just cuts the engine and allows us to drift closer. We both pull our shotguns. Pistols would be quitter, but with the waves, our aim would be everywhere. With a shotgun, we just need to be close. Several booming shots later, the water is red, and there are floating corpses in the surf. It sort of looks like a war movie of storming the beaches in WW II, except the bodies are not soldiers. Weird thoughts done we paddle in the remaining distance and watch for new zombies that might have heard our shotguns. Nothing. That is weird. There should have been at least a few more drawn by the loud sound of the guns.

I guess it doesn’t really matter. We drag the runabout boat far enough on shore that it should not go anywhere for at least an hour or more. If we take that long, then something has gone horribly wrong. Michael and I cautiously make our way up the access point into the first resort we targeted. Following the signs to the lobby I see the doors closed and it seems to be packed with zombies. How in the heck did they all get in there? I mean if they turned in their hotel rooms they should still be stuck in their hotel rooms. How did so many get down to the OH. It looks like this was a makeshift medical camp of the city or government. I can see several cots littering the lobby behind the wall of zombies. Yeah, not going in there. We could probably clear it, but what is the point in risking our lives when we can just go to the next hotel.

I signal Michael and we retreat and start jogging along the beach to the next resort. A couple of minutes later we arrive at the lobby of the next hotel. I see only three zombies in this one. I pull my new silenced 9mm pistol. I feel so much like a spy or assassin right now. There was a large shipment of silencers for a variety of different guns waiting to be shipped to Europe at Jaxport. I grabbed ALL of them. Noise is the enemy when dealing with zombies and these silencers allowed us to shoot a higher caliber pistol with more stopping power with a smaller noise than even the .22 pistols gave us. I still had the .22 pistol with me, just because I can carry 500 rounds for it in my pocket and not even blink about the tiny weight. It was my old trusty .45 that I replaced with this guy.

Michael had the same gun and we proceeded to clear the lobby just like it was a movie. Open the door, two in the chest, one in the head and suddenly no more zombie threat. I headed over to where I could see the giant display of tourist brochures. Beaches, theme parks, restaurants, clubs, water parks, and there it is Duck Boat tours. I grabbed several copies and handed a couple to Michael. I also grabbed some on the museums for a possible idea that might work on in the future. With the deed done we retreated to the beach and started to head back to our dinghy when Michael’s younger eyes spotted a problem.

There were four, no wait five people surrounding our little runabout boat. They had rifles and did not look like they were the welcoming committee. Well crap. We retreated back up out of sight before they saw us. I pulled out the walkie and turned it on. “Olivia can you hear me.”

“Yes. Those people arrived about 60 seconds after you went into the second hotel. Trika has brought up the anchor and we are moving down the coast in case they decide to try and board us.”

“Alright, tell her to use the GPS and try to get as close to this address as possible.”

I proceeded to give her the location of the Duck Tours. “Michael it looks like we are going on foot. I think we need to get out of here quick, that group does not look friendly. I have the sneaking suspicion that they are not the only ones.” We head back into the lobby of the hotel and search behind the check in desk and find a set of keys to the hotel shuttle. Transportation has been acquired. We headed out to the front circle and there it was Hotel Miami’s finest mini-bus. “Dibs on driving!” I grab the keys from Michael and head in.

The vehicle starts right up. “Okay, Michael you are the navigator, how do I get to the Duck Boat tours?”

“Why am I the navigator?”

“Well I am driving so you have to be the navigator. Me Han you Chewie.”

“Shut up I am not Chewbacca and I have never been to Miami before.”

“Then off to a gas station for a map we go.”

I drove around for about five minutes dodging stopped cars and taking several detours due to zombies and other things before I saw a gas station that was not swarming with zombies, on fire, and was easy to get too. It seems like people in Miami lost their minds and either rioted just as the apocalypse started or a large number of closet pyromaniacs survived the zombie virus. This is becoming a little ridiculous. I pulled up in what I would like to think was an action hero type slide, but in reality was me being cautious not to break our only vehicle. With silenced pistols Michael and I cleared the area and grabbed some snacks, water and a map.

A measly two hours later and only God knows how many wrong turns, detours, one spot of fleeing from a zombie hoard, several shots exchanged with looters and two bathroom breaks we finally arrive at the destination. Hey, I am getting older and when I am nervous it makes me need to pee more. No sign of the tender yet, but that’s okay. We need to find the Duck Boat first. In front of me is a small building with a large garage next to it. Michael and I get out of our hotel transportation for the last time and proceed to search the area. A couple of zombies later I am finally looking at my Duck Boat.

“It’s bigger than I thought.”

“Yeah several people have said that.”

“Is it powerful?”

“One of the strongest in its day. It has seen a lot of places and who knows how many people have sat on it.”

Our little moment over, Michael and I head into the garage to check out our new ride.